Published by Syndicon Group Associates • London, Ontario
MBA Canada Executive
Chairman/Newsletter Editor David Poissant 1980 Imperial Way, #402, Burlington, ON L7L 0E7
Telephone: 905-331-3038
E-mail: [email protected] Secretary/Treasurer Susan MacKenzie
406 Devine Street, Sarnia, ON N7T 1V5
Telephone: 519-332-2765
E-mail: [email protected] Western Representative Lynda Lougheed
PO Box 54 Spruce View, AB T0M 1V0 Telephone: 403-728-2333
E-mail: [email protected]
Eastern Representative Darrell Bing 75 Baroness Close, Hammond Plains, NS B4B 0B4
Telephone: 902-463-7419
E-mail: [email protected]
MBA United Kingdom Executive
Chairman/Liason To Be Announced
Secretary/Archivist Russell Legross 15 Holland Park Drive, Hedworth Estate, Jarrow, Tyne & Wear NE32 4LL
Telephone: 0191 4569840
E-mail: [email protected]
Treasurer Frank Perriam 3a Farm Way, Worcester Park, Surrey KT4 8RU
Telephone: 07587 366371
E-mail: [email protected]
Registrar John D. McDonald 35 Mansted Gardens, Chadwell Heath, Romford, Essex RM6 4ED
Telephone: 020 8590 2524
E-mail: [email protected]
Newsletter Editor To Be Announced Contact Sectretary (Russell Legross) in interim.
MBA Executive - Australia
Secretary Tricia Williams PO Box 304, Brighton 3186, Australia
Telephone: +61 422 581 028
E-mail: [email protected]
DISPERSALS is published February ● May ● August ● November
On our cover: Commemorative Air Force Arizona Wing’s B-25J Mitchell ‘Maid in the Shade’ David Poissant photo
2nd TACTICAL AIR FORCE
MEDIUM BOMBERS ASSOCIATION Incorporating
88, 98, 107, 180, 226, 305, 320, & 342 Squadrons
137 & 139 Wings, 2 Group RAF
3
CHAIRMAN’S NOTES • AUGUST 2016
In November last year, to celebrate my 70th birthday and the 48th wedding anniversary of Gloria
and I, our daughter Angelique and her husband Dean treated us to a holiday in Las Vegas and
Phoenix. It was a superb trip that completely spoiled us and allowed me the opportunity to visit
one of my favorite Mitchells, ‘Maid in the Shade’ of the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative
Air Force. She’s located in Mesa, Arizona, just a short drive from Phoenix…I HAD to go.
One of my photos from that Mitchell visit is on this issue’s cover, and another makes up the
centrefold. Maid in the Shade is a wonderful tribute to the dedication of a band of enthusiasts
with obvious pride in what they do. Immediately after each flight, reinforcing that pride, the
entire aircrew wipe down the aircraft, maintaining her factory-fresh appearance, even though
she’s a combat veteran of 15 WWII missions.
It’s fortunate that there are so many groups
keeping WWII aircraft airworthy; there are
currently 45 airworthy Mitchells around the world,
including the most recent addition, a B-25PBJ we
feature this month. Also this month is an update on
the ‘Lucky Lady’ Mitchell being restored by
Reevers Warbirds in Australia. Staying in the
2TAF vein, there are 2 flying Mosquitos, with
another nearing completion at Avspec in New
Zealand; 1 flying A-20 and 1 Blenheim in the air.
We really need an airworthy Typhoon!
Dick ‘Sandy’ Sanderson (P • 107 Sqn) assembled
his Recollections of WWII a while ago, and we
proudly present the first of two installments this
issue; the remainder will be included in our November Dispersals. You’ll quickly see that Sandy
must’ve paid close attention to his log book to help his very good memory of his varied, exciting
and interesting service.
Enjoy!
Hawker Typhoon static display at Canada aviation & Space Museum; on loan from RAF Museum.
D. Poissant photo
AVRO ANSON GRAVITAS Lynda Lougheed • 2TAF MBA Canada Western Representative
Hi again Dave.
I have attached pictures of the Gravitas near Cayley, Alberta - you may remember there was an
article in Vintage Wings by Dave O'Malley last year.
To make a long story short, after I read that article; I contacted the Bomber Command Museum in
Nanton to secure authorization to visit the site (it is on private land). They forwarded my email to
Keith Harder, a professor at Augustana College in Camrose who designed and created the artwork.
He emailed me late last year and said that during the spring and summer months he comes down
on a regular basis to do maintenance (weed control, etc). He has a list of interested people and fans
out an email each time he will be going on site. He emailed early last week and Arlyne, Gayle,
and I met him on Friday for what turned out to be a personalized tour for just we three sisters.
Keith is the whole package - personable, knowledgeable, and an amazing artist! You can visit his
website: keithharder.com.
The Gravitas is a 12 point compass with salvaged remnants of 12 Ansons - one at each point. The
most complete body is due north at the "12 o'clock" position with each subsequent point featuring
a less complete part of an Anson body. Thus the most "incomplete" Anson body is at the 11th
point. As we walked around the circle examining each plane, we noticed props, engines, rudders,
seats, bomb bay doors, joy sticks, wings, and other important fuselage components.
Artist Keith Harder poses with the most complete Anson; at the North point of the installation. Lynda Lougheed photo
The history behind this artwork is interesting. The Anson remnants were sitting on the Bomber
Command Museum property (children apparently used to climb on some of them.) When Keith
initially presented his idea to the Bomber Command Museum, they thought he was crazy! The
Museum wanted them hauled away, but one of the directors (Charlie Logie) said they could be
hauled to his property near Cayley. He and Keith then collaborated on putting the Gravitas Art on
his land.
In preparation for this project, Keith bought
tarps, made 12 life size cutouts of Anson
planes and rented a gym to create a template
of this unique work of art.
As you can see from the aerial view, he
strategically placed his 12 life size cutouts at
each point, had truckloads of gravel hauled
in to place in and around the cutouts, then
hauled in the plane bodies (which were
nearby on the same property - see above
paragraph). Note: when they finished
marking out the 12 points of the circle, they were only one inch out!
There is currently some apparent mumbling
from local municipal officials that the
Gravitas is an "eyesore!" Because there is
no public access, from the road - it actually
does look like a bunch of old farm
machinery laying in a field! In fact that is
exactly what Arlyne and Gary thought it
was until I read the article and forwarded it
to them.
Keith is proposing to Bomber Command
Directors that a turnout and information sign
be installed. He would also be thrilled if
awareness could be generated in order that
supervised educational school trips and
other tours could be arranged through the
Museum. At the moment, he continues to
visit the site every three weeks in the summer to keep the site free of weeds, etc. and is hopeful his
work will be allowed to remain and gain awareness.
If you are ever out west, I think you would find it very interesting.
Lynda L
The aircraft silhouettes were mapped out using pre-cut tarp templates. Keith Harder photo via Dave O’Malley
Gravitas aerial view with North point at top of photo. Photo via Lynda Lougheed
WORLD’S LAST SURVIVING PBJ-1 MITCHELL FLIES AGAIN!
Warbird News.com
Photo by Scott Plummer of Airshowvid.com
On Sunday May 15th, at a little before 2pm local time, the world’s last known surviving PBJ-1J
Mitchell took to the skies over Camarillo, California again, following a decades-long, down-to-
the-last-rivet restoration with the Southern California (SoCal) Wing of the Commemorative Air
Force. As is typical on such test flights, a chase plane shadowed the Mitchell for much of the hour-
long flight, sitting off her wingtip right up until the old bomber alit once more on terra firma.
The flight seemed to go smoothly, and many supporters were on hand to see her soar again and
cheer her home. A local TV news channel even covered the proceedings as well.
As many readers will know, the PBJ was the ‘navalized’ version of the B-25 which served almost
exclusively with the US Marine Corps during WWII. WarbirdsNews published an extensive
article on the lengthy restoration about a year ago, featuring dozens of terrific photographs by
contributor Dan Newcomb. This PBJ came off the North American’s Kansas City production line
as B-25J 44-30988 in early 1945. Following her conversion and acceptance by the Navy, the
newly-minted naval patrol bomber became Bu.No.35857. The aircraft never saw combat, but was
one of just a handful of PBJs to make it onto the civilian registry.
The ‘SoCal Wing’ has painted their Mitchell to represent PBJ-1J Bu.No. 35243. Marked as MB
11, this aircraft flew with Marine Bombing Squadron VMB-611 in the Pacific Theatre. Sadly, 1st.
Lt. Doit L. Fish and his seven man crew were lost in MB 11 during a strike on the Kibawe Trail
near Davao on May 30th, 1945. Interestingly, Lt. Fish’s son David is a volunteer with the CAF’s
SoCal wing, so it seems more than appropriate that the PBJ serves as a tribute to his father’s crew,
as a way of memorializing all those Marines who flew the Mitchell.
The PBJ landing at Camarillo airport for the first time in 23 years (photo by airshowvid.com)
With the PBJ flying once more, she will undoubtedly become a regular performer on the air show
circuit. Warbirds News wishes to offer the SoCal Wing volunteers our heartfelt appreciation for
persevering with such dedication on this difficult project and that the aircraft enjoys many years
of successful flying ahead!
Commemorative Air Force Southern California Wing photo
REMEMBERING VIMY AND JUNO Mark McNeil • Hamilton Spectator
It was a long time ago, but Irene Sobering still vividly remembers the flashing lights across the
English Channel.
Sitting on the cliffs of Brighton, England, in 1944 — during some downtime from duties with the
medical section of the Royal Canadian Air Force — she could see the fire from munitions as the
Allied forces advanced in Normandy, eventually defeating the Nazis.
Now, more than 70 years later — in her early 90s — she is at the Canadian Warplane Heritage
Museum [CWH] looking at her uniform in a glass display case. The uniform — that once doubled
as a wedding dress — is part of a new exhibit at the museum called ‘From Vimy to Juno’ at the
museum during the month of May 2016.
She believes the exhibit is an important step in helping Canadians understand the significance of
the country's involvement in the Second World War as well as First World War. [Irene is a charter
and active member of the Lancaster Support Club at the CWH.]
Interestingly, she says "with my sons' generation, they really didn't care much about it.”
"But my grandson's generation — people in their 20s — suddenly they are very interested and
want to know about things."
Left: Irene Sobering looks at the uniform that was also her wedding dress when she got married in 1945 to a Lancaster pilot. The uniform is now in the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum collection and has been incorporated in the ‘From Vimy to Juno’ display at the museum during May, 2016.
Right: Trevor Meldrum talks to David Brady Benoit, program coordinator with the Juno Beach Centre, at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum where ‘From Vimy to Juno’ was on display. Meldrum was an air gunner during the Second World War. Both photos by John Rennison, Hamilton Spectator
David Benoit, the program co-ordinator of the travelling exhibit, says the goal is to raise awareness
of the Battle of Vimy, which will have its 100th anniversary next year, and the D-Day landing at
Juno Beach which will have its 75th anniversary in 2019.
"These are seminal moments for Canadians to know about and experience, but unfortunately not
everyone is able to go to the sites in France. The travelling exhibit is a way to bring the sites to
Canadians as we travel across the country."
Vimy, in the First World War, was such an incredible victory for Canada that it is seen as a defining
moment of nationhood. But the battle had a horrific cost — 3,598 Canadians were killed and
another 7,000 wounded. The giant Canadian National Vimy Memorial commemorates the battle
in Northern France.
Juno Beach, less than 400 kilometres away, is where Canadian forces landed on June 6, 1944,
during the Normandy invasion. D-Day veteran Garth Webb (1918- 2012), who lived in Burlington,
was the founder of the Juno Beach Centre. The museum in Normandy pays homage to the 45,000
Canadians who lost their lives during the war, of which 5,500 were killed during the Battle of
Normandy and 359 on D-Day.
MITCHELL UPDATE • REEVERS WARBIRDS From Reevers Facebook Page
Reevers is pleased to announce that shortly our NAA B-25J (44-31508) Mitchell [reported in
August 2015 Dispersals] will be moving to its new home at Parafield Airport, Adelaide, Australia.
As you all know we have been working very hard to collect as many internal fittings for our B-25
Mitchell as possible. We have now collected about 80% of the fittings needed and are at the point
where we need to start reassembly of the aircraft and, while doing this, working on sections that
have corrosion to stop it from progressing further.
Left photo: cockpit section. Right: rear section, aft of bomb bay. Phil Buckley - Reevers photos
PHASE 1 – Static Display
We now seek additional help from anyone who is willing to donate/offer any amount of financial
assistance. Unlike State run Museums across Australia, Reevers is not a registered not for profit
organization and therefore we cannot offer any tax deductions on donations made within Australia.
All money raised will be used specifically on the B-25 Mitchell to get it to the desired static
condition for public display commencing in early April 2017, which will coincide with the 75th
Anniversary of the formation of 18 Squadron NEI/RAAF.
By setting this goal we will ensure this B-25 Mitchell is preserved for future generations.
Wright Cyclone R-2600 engines awaiting their turn at restoration. Phil Buckley - Reevers photo
PHASE 2 – Return to Flying Condition
After April 2017 subsections of the aircraft will be removed for in-depth restoration to be certified
for flight condition, with the major parts and sub-sections completed in the final phases of the
restoration process.
Restoration to flight is expected to take potentially up to 3 years (but may take longer depending
on what happens), so we aim and hope to have this B-25 Mitchell back in the air by at least 2020.
DONATIONS
If anyone would like to help us financially, we will accept donations via PayPal, direct debit
(within Australia) or any other methods of transfer people desire. Remember no matter how small
or large the donation it all adds up to bring this aircraft back to life.
You can email me direct, [email protected] for further details.
Many thanks,
Peter Smythe/Reevers
Commemorative Air Force Arizona Wing’s B-25J Mitchell (43-35972) ‘Maid in the Shade’A veteran of 15 WWII combat missions. David Poissant photo.
SANDY’S WAR Flight Lieutenant A.R. ‘Sandy’ Sanderson • Pilot • 107
Sandy was sworn in as a member of the RCAF on 20 June 1941 in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Assigned regimental number R107792, he was the last airman of the day, and was on the train to
No. 2 Manning Depot in Brandon, Manitoba the following morning.
He had been threshing grain on Frank Peter’s farm when war was declared on 03 September 1939
and Sandy told his workmates, who had no interest in getting involved, that he intended to join the
RCAF and train to be a pilot. That Fall he made his way to Regina to enlist, but University types
were all that were being accepted. He went back in January of ’41, at which time the RCAF had
revised their requirements. He was told to report on 20 June.
Sandy continues:
To me, Manning Depot, with its endless
days of drill, route marches and parade
square, was not a lot of fun, nor was
communal living with fifty to a hundred
men in barracks on steel cots. But the
people were friendly enough, and it wasn’t
long before I was off to Calgary.
On August 8th I was posted to Nos. 2 and 11
Equipment Depot on guard duty: two hours
on and two hours off, guarding equipment
on the outskirts of Calgary in an area called
the Stockyards. The reason for the name
was readily apparent! We carried a rifle,
even though we had no ammunition; we did
have a bayonet, with which I almost stuck a
guy one night. I couldn’t identify him in the dark and told him to advance; he kept coming until
he said “you’d better halt me before I end up in the end of that bayonet.”
My first airplane flight occurred while stationed at Calgary; we prospective airmen would go out
to No. 3 Service Flight Training School (SFTS) and the flying instructors would allow us to fly as
passengers. We were issued parachutes and were taken up on a ‘Night Flying Test’ that consisted
of one circuit of the airdrome with an instructor, a trainee pilot and several prospective aircrew.
I quite enjoyed flying for the first time, although the Avro Anson was not too impressive.
Then I was posted to No. 4 Initial Training School (ITS) in Edmonton. I enjoyed Edmonton; the
best part was at long last we were beginning to make progress in our flying ‘careers.’ Along the
line they did ‘wash guys out;’ some went to non-flying positions and those considered still suitable
for air crew transferred to Observer, Wireless Operator/Air Gunners or Air Gunner schools. They
P/O Sandy Sanderson in July 1943 courtesy A.R. Sanderson
were selected or rejected based on what was needed at the time as well as academic achievement
on exams. I managed to stay in the top 1/3 of the class and avoided rewrites.
We arrived at No. 5 Elementary Flight Training School (EFTS) High River, Alberta on 27 October.
There was ground school, endless classes on aircraft recognition, navigation, meteorology and we
learned to fly the Tiger Moth. The wind blew like crazy at High River; I once saw a pilot flying
over the aerodrome
throttle back until he
seemed motionless in
the air, the wind being
that strong. There were
times when we were
landing that a truck
would race alongside as
you landed and a couple
of guys would jump out
and grab your wingtips
so you wouldn’t flip
over and, at times, guide
you back to the hangar.
My first solo flight was
08 November 41 at
High River; I had
completed 9 hours and
15 minutes of Dual Instruction and had just finished a circuit with my instructor when he got out
and told me “Okay it’s yours. Do one takeoff and one landing. Good luck.” I did well except for
throttling back too far on my downwind leg, but caught it in time; from then on I always checked
my air speed indicator when throttling
back.
After missing 3 days due to a sinus
infection, I had a lot of flying hours to
make up so I cruised around with an
instructor by the name of Walz who like
to chase coyotes across the fields of
Turner Valley. I made up the hours, but it
was Walz who did most of the flying.
We completed EFTS on 21 Dec 41 and
were posted to No. 12 Service Flying
Training School in Bandon, Manitoba and
began flying the Cessna Crane just after
New Year’s Day 1942. I had a bit of
trouble landing the Crane and would ‘pump it down’ meaning juggling the stick or wheel back and
A No. 5 EFTS Tiger Moth airborne during training flight In High River area circa 1942 Bomber Command Museum of Canada photo
Cessna Crane with Avro Anson behind. Canadian Warplane Heritage
forth to get down without breaking anything. It frustrated my instructor, Alexander, who turned
me over to another to help solve my problem. This instructor got me to do tail down landings
which broke the ice for me; although I went on to three-point the Crane, I found tail down landings
very good for rough field or crosswind landings.
There was one fatal crash while we were in Brandon; we were told to stay away from it, but of
course we couldn’t. There wasn’t much left of the plane as there isn’t much material in a Crane.
[19 Jan 42; Killed was LAC Ross Francis Kitto, RNZAF; 23 years. Interred in Brandon Cemetery
Manitoba]
It was already snowing when several pilots and I left on solo cross-country flights to Dauphin,
Manitoba and return. A blizzard developed and my gyro became fouled; the others had turned back
a half-hour before I did. I did a reciprocal course but could not find the aerodrome; I dropped to
about 200 feet and found a road that looked familiar; following it, I was getting low on fuel when
I arrived at Virden, an Elementary Flying School. I circled until they gave a green light and made
a good landing. They phoned Brandon and later in the afternoon, a couple of instructors flew down.
I didn’t know it at the time but when making a forced landing, you are not allowed to fly it out. I
expected a tongue-lashing, but everyone was happy I had found an aerodrome.
No. 12 Service Flying Training School, Brandon Manitoba Flight Ontario photo
We competed the Brandon course 08 April 1942 and two days later were in the ninth Wings Parade
out of Brandon. I was recommended for a commission, but it seemed most fellows going overseas
never received commissions in time. I remained a Sergeant, not even receiving a Crown [Flight
Sergeant]; my commission came later, through the RAF. I went home on leave, was posted to No.
2 Y Depot in Moncton for a couple days, then to No. 1 Y Depot in Halifax on 27 April 42.
We arrived in England seven days later.
Our transport to Britain was a ship called the Batory, a reportedly former flagship of the Polish
Navy. It was very fast, but had to travel at the slower speed of the convoy of which we were a part.
We saw no ships sunk nor any other commotion. We did have rough weather and although I never
got seasick, I did miss a meal or two because the food was awful! Sour peas and carrots with an
atrocious beer that we drank out of billy cans. We were given a chocolate bar per day on which we
existed along with the cereal or porridge they gave us for breakfast.
We landed at Glasgow and travelled by train to No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre in Bournemouth
on the south coast of England, where we got our first taste of the war. We were billeted in hotels
in a resort area along the south coast, just
across the English Channel from the
Germans. A few of us had gone to an
afternoon matinee when we suddenly
heard some loud thumps; a bomb had
gone off close by. People began to panic;
we stood on our seats and yelled for calm
and to file out quietly; hell, if we had
been closer to the door we’d probably
have been the first ones out! There was
one person killed in the backyard next
door, having tea when the bomb hit. We
learned that three or four German raiders
had come screaming in low with bombs
under their bellies, strafing and doing as
much damage as possible; they dropped
their bombs and got the hell out, back
across the channel.
One of those raiders dropped a bomb on the Anglo Swiss Hotel that was full of Canadians and hit
the almost empty sleeping quarters, most having gone down for tea. Six men were killed;
volunteers were called to help and we got to work. We found one officer flattened beneath a
concrete pillar; I’ll never forget seeing him with his watch stopped at four o’clock, probably the
moment of his death. My first close contact with casualties.
Along with a New Zealand Air Force Pilot Officer, I was sent to the Royal Regiment of the Buffs
for a week on maneuvers. Their artillery was scary; they set the guns for specific elevations, but
the damn things always seem to fall short. The saving grace of the exercise was that we were both
rewarded with a 48-hour pass!
That ended my Army experience and, on the 23rd of June 1942, I was posted to No. 15 Advanced
Flying Unit (AFU) at Leconfield, Yorkshire, where we flew Airspeed Oxfords, which I liked better
than the Cessna. I tried to get an Oxford above 10,000 feet using thinning, enriching, diving for
speed…everything to no avail; probably a good thing, because we didn’t have oxygen. We did a
Messerschmitt Bf-109 ‘Tip and Run’ raider. These aircraft made lightning attacks on English south coast resorts. Photo: panzer.7bb.ru
lot of cross country fights, many of them ‘under the hood’ for proficiency on controls. During my
time at Leconfield I went to No. 1516 Beam Approach Training Flight at Middleton St. George
(14 to 17 July), where we flew on instruments all the time. The time spent there and on the Link
Trainer stood me in good stead later on operations doing nearly all night flying.
Night flying isn’t safe when it’s pitch black with someone shooting at you; you better know where
you’re going!
My next stop was No. 14 Operational Training Unit (OTU), Cottesmore, Rutland. There, after
local familiarization flights on Oxfords, we changed to Handley Page Hampdens. Twice during
my stay at #14 OTU, I swung a Hampden 180˚; just taxied back and started again. The Hampden
had small twin tails; some called it the flying coffin, but the most popular, and accurate, nickname
was ‘flying suitcase.’ It had a
long boom of a body and, until
you got the tail up in the
slipstream, it was as stable as
a kangaroo on ice. I eventually
got it going and completed
110 hours of First Pilot time
on it.
It was here I crewed up with
‘Hoot’ Henderson, RCAF as
navigator; a Wireless
Operator Air Gunner (WAG)
by the name of O’Conner
RCAF; Rose, RAF as
Bombardier and Air Gunner
Coates, RCAF. We were
scheduled for one of the
thousand bomber raids, but our Squadron Leader wisely recommended that we, an inexperienced
crew, not be used. Many guys I trained with in Brandon were lost on those publicity stunt raids.
One memorable experience on Hampdens was when, about to take a plane just refueled from a
night trip, Hoot threw his chest pack on top of the tail plane which promptly sagged with one side
almost hitting the ground. The ground crew checked to find only one of four bolts still holding;
the previous pilot must have made a heavy landing, smashing the bolts. If we had taken it up, the
first turn would have been disaster. After that Hoot always shook the tail plane before mounting
up.
We survived Hampdens and were posted to 424 Squadron, 6 (Canadian) Group at Topcliffe,
Yorkshire on 29 October 1942, flying Vickers Wellingtons. The Wellington was awkward and I
had two problems with them. My aircraft had a faulty auto pilot that never did get repaired; each
time I went through procedures and cut in the auto pilot, the plane went into a screaming dive to
port.
Handley Page Hampdens Photo: wallyswar.wordpress.com
My other problem was my short legs. I was flying with F/L Klassen on 22 Dec when he cut one of
my engines; it’s a test to see if you can keep the aircraft straight. I’m doing my best with a six inch
cushion behind me, but I can’t get enough rudder, so I throttled back the opposite engine. Klassen
said you have to keep full power on; I explained I couldn’t get enough rudder; he said to get the
pedals adjusted; I said they’re up as far as they go, they don’t make them any longer. The next
morning S/L Comar gave me three choices: stay here and instruct; go home and instruct; or we’ll
give you any other posting you want. I almost fell out of my chair; they don’t do things like that
in the military. I needed time to think. My friends told me it’s no disgrace if your legs are too short;
go home; people are being killed over here.
I asked for fighter bombers.
12 March 1943: I was at No. 13 OTU
at Bicester in Oxfordshire, on Bristol
Blenheim Is and IVs. Blenheim’s were
a cinch to fly, compared to other
aircraft I had flown to date, even the
nose heavy Mk IVs; the visibility was
good, and I was now flying formation.
Another pilot, Louis Longueville (from
San Francisco), and I were approached
by a couple of navigators saying they
wanted to crew up. Both had been
trained in South Africa and, after
checking them out, I found Ed Free to
be the best navigator in our squadron;
he didn’t have much rank and was a bit
overly religious, but he was good. So I
ended up in a four-man crew with
Navigator Ed Free, WAG ‘Ginger’ Doran and rear Gunner Jim Lovett from New Zealand.
We completed No. 13 OTU and were posted to 107 Squadron at Hartford Bridge on 8 June 43; the
same time I was advised of my commission. Off I went to London with a handful of clothing
coupons for a tailor-made uniform from Hathaway’s. The first time I appeared at an officer’s mess
in uniform was at 107 Squadron; a new experience for me. Luckily, my friend F/O McCullough
was there and he knew his way around the mess. I didn’t even know what serviette rings were for,
nor many of the other things used in the mess. But I survived and a few days later was down as
Orderly Officer; one of the duties was to check on the food in the Airmen’s mess. Shortly after
entering the Airmen’s mess I heard a loud “Hey, Sandy!” It was one of my ground crew from 424
Bristol Blenheim Mk IVs Imperial War Museum photo
Squadron. He asked what aircraft I was going to have and said he
was going to come and work on it. I ended up with a great ground
crew; many of the Polish ground crew were not treated well by
their officers, so they often wandered over and worked with my
crew. One of them gave me a cigarette lighter made from two
brass buttons; I still have it and it still works. Other than
cigarettes, I can’t recall how I repaid them; likely with coupons,
socks and shirts.
The ‘fun’ started almost immediately. 107 Squadron had an all-
black A-20 Havoc Mk II night fighter with flame dampening
exhaust and a hard nose housing 12 forward firing .303 machine
guns. I was sent up in it on 28 June for some solo single engine
flying. I feathered an engine at a reasonable height and flew for
about 30 minutes before unfeathering. It wouldn’t start; climbing
to 10,000 feet, I put it into a dive…no luck…wouldn’t start. After
trying everything in the manual, I headed back to the ‘drome and
circled at 800 feet until the tower realized I was in trouble and
gave me a green light to land. The ground crew found the battery
was dead; there was no way I could have started the engine.
By then I had 4 hours on A-20s and knew I could fly one on a single engine and land it if necessary.
We flew a lot of low level cross country and formation flying in pairs or boxes of six. During one
practice low level flight we roared over a fox hunt. Why anyone would conduct a fox hunt in the
middle of a war I do not know. The horses started bucking, I don’t know where the dogs went, and
we didn’t see the fox. My WAG gave a running account from his rear position of a rider being
dragged, another horse bucking across a field and third running straight through a hedge. I hope
no one was hurt; we didn’t hear any complaints; we were doing what we were supposed to and
they were only out bothering some poor fox.
04 September 1943 our crew flew its first operation. It was against the Marshalling Yards at
Amiens and was a circus. That was 12 aircraft, in daylight, in formation, bombing from about
10,000 feet. My logbook reads: flak nil, no snappers (fighters). [Boston IIA OM-J serial BZ275]
[107 Squadron Operations Record Book for 04 Sep 43 reads:
“24 aircraft led by W/Cmdr England, were detailed to attack Marshalling Yards at Amien.
All a/c attacked the primary from 11,500 to 12,100 feet at 0915 hours dropping 96 x 500
lb. M.C. T.D. .025.
Bursts were observed on railway tracks and wagon repair shops, on buildings to the South
of Eastern yards and a few overshoots to the South and South East of target.
Weather was good. Visibility 10-20 miles, no low cloud and hazy.
No enemy aircraft or flak encountered.
A fire was seen in a wood North of Crecy-on-Ponthiem.
N.B. This operation was carried out in conjunction with 88 Squadron.]
l-r: F/O D. Brown; F/S J. Shaw (both
KIA 22 Oct 43); F/O E. McCullough
(POW 22 Oct 43) Ed McCullough photo via
Russ Legross.
By the 9th of the month I had done five ops, so we were going fairly steady. Two of the ops were
on the same day, 08 Sep 43, laying smoke between mine sweepers and the enemy coast:
Take off at 0915 in Boston IIIA OM-D serial BZ223
Take off at 1512 in Boston IIIA OM-H serial BZ280
The object of smoke-laying ops was to block the German artillery’s view of the minesweeping
operations; the risk was that artillery barrages into the channel created huge plumes of water and
if your low-flying aircraft hit one, you were in the drink! Fortunately during my smoke-laying
operations the Germans weren’t firing.
A 09 Sep 43 operation against Monchy/Breton Airfield was carried out in concert with 342 (Free
French) Squadron. Twelve Bostons from 107 Squadron and 11 from 342; because 342 were an
aircraft short, our crew was assigned to fly with them.
I had seen 342 Squadron in action and they did not instill confidence. They received the best
aircraft, were treated royally and did little according to intelligence standards. As soon as we
crossed the coast, they began nattering like crazy, breaking radio silence. The formation got very
raggedy and Ed told me we were way off target; I don’t know where we dropped the bombs. When
we got back I explained to our Wing Commander what happened and that if he ever wanted me to
fly with those guys again, he could court martial me. I never again flew with them and, as far as I
know, nor did anyone else from 107.
107 Squadron Douglas A-20 ‘Bostons’ John Shephard photo via Russ Legross
One of the most memorable ops of the 16 I did while on Bostons, was a 03 Oct 43 attack on a
transformer and switching station at Changy, near Orleans. Twelve Bostons attacked; 6 at high
level and 6 at low level; our crew, in Boston IIIA OM-S serial BZ394, was in the low attack. Ted
Hoeg had part of his tail shot off, but there were no fighters.
From 107 Squadron ORB:
All aircraft attacked primary at 1412/1413 hours.
6 aircraft from 50 feet dropping 23x500 M.C. 11 secs. 6 aircraft from 1,500 feet dropping
23x500 M.C. .025. (2 bombs hung up)
A huge orange flame seen to rise up from transformers and circuit broken in North part of
station. Direct hits on Administrative Building and whole target enveloped in smoke rising
to 3,000 feet seen from 30 miles after leaving target.
Aircraft machine gunned target and two goods trains. One, just west of target, was raked
all along wagons and engine.
Light inaccurate flak over target.
Light and heavy flak inaccurate on coast on return, in both cases not intense
3/10 Cu. 3,000 feet. Visibility excellent over target.
3 aircraft took photos: Aircraft ‘Q’ (vertical). ‘M’ & ‘L’ (oblique).
We had a few sad incidents. The first guy I knew to go missing was a South African billeted just
down the hall from me. I had traded him a large can of Revelation Pipe Tobacco for a package of
photographic paper he had. Shortly after that, he was shot down, missing. He eventually made it
back, but not before his can of tobacco had been stolen.
Another event included McCullough, Hoeg and I: We were all trying to make ten ops, as the
commonly-held belief was most didn’t get past seven. An op was being put together and two more
crews were required; each of us wanted it so W/C England told us to flip for it. I lost the toss so
McCullough and Hoeg went. It was a low level op and the formation made a faulty return crossing
of the French Coast at Veere where intense accurate light flak was waiting. McCullough and Hoeg
were shot down along with two other crews. McCullough was the sole survivor and was interned
as a POW for the duration.
That 22 October 43 Operation was against Courcelles – Aircraft Aero Engine Repair Works near
Charleroi with Bostons from 88 and 342 Squadrons. 107 Squadron losses were:
Boston IIIA ‘OM-A’ serial BZ230:
W/C England, R.G. Pilot RAFVR KIA
F/O Anderson, N.P. Nav/B RAFVR KIA
P/O Kindell, A.E. WO/AG RAFVR KIA
Boston IIIA ‘OM-D’ serial BZ223:
F/O Brice, J.R. Pilot RAFVR KIA
F/S Muddell, V.G. Nav/B RAFVR KIA
F/S Gibson, R. WO/AG RAFVR KIA
Boston IIIA ‘OM-K’ serial BZ234:
F/O McCullough, E.E. Pilot RCAF POW (Stalag Luft I)
F/O Brown, D.R.R. Nav/B RAFVR KIA
Sgt Shaw, J. WO/AG RAFVR KIA
Boston IIIA ‘OM-G’ serial BZ203:
F/S Hoeg, T. Pilot RAFVR KIA
Sgt Gardner, H. Nav/B RAFVR KIA
Sgt Rodham, C. WO/AG RAFVR KIA
Two aircraft were forced to land at other RAF fields: ‘OM-O’ at Kenley and ‘OM-R’ at Manston.
107 Squadron Operations Records Book reads, in part:
…4 aircraft were seen to be shot down at Veere at 1507 hours. One aircraft, believed to be ‘A’
seen with the starboard engine on fire but under control flying southwards. One aircraft believed
to be ‘D’ seen on fire. This aircraft exploded and fell in the channel between Walcheren and Noord,
Beveland. Two aircraft seen on fire and seen to collide and break up in the air. These last 2 aircraft
believed to be ‘G’ and ‘K’. Large flocks of birds of many kinds were encountered over the enemy
coast and estuaries and considerable minor damage caused to aircraft ‘V’ and ‘F’ as a result of
hitting them.
We completed 16 operations, during daylight, on Bostons. Many were raids on so-called ‘No-ball’
sites where V-1 ‘Doodlebug’ rockets were launched. No-balls were hardened concrete structures
and heavily defended with fighters and FLAK (a contraction of the German name
‘Flugzeugabwehrkanone’ meaning air defense cannon).
FLAK were cannon shells set to explode at a predetermined height, scattering metal shards over a
large area; they exploded in a puff of black smoke with the unmistakable smell of cordite. If you
heard or saw the puff and didn’t hear the jingle-jangle of metal hitting or piercing your plane, you
were okay. Very often, however, we did hear the darn flak pieces hitting us. I still have one piece,
the size of a marble, I dug out of our aircraft after an operation.
More than a few times, planes returned from low
level ops trailing wire from power lines; many
weird things went on.
The A-20 was one of the nicest aircraft I ever
flew. The cockpit was spacious enough that you
could at least move your arms and elbows; the
seats were comfortable, although we always sat
on a parachute. Vision was beautiful; it was much
easier to fly in formation that the Mosquitos I
flew soon after. It could easily be landed on one
engine and could take a lot of punishment. It
could have used heavier machine guns or cannon.
On 3 February 1944 we moved to Lasham,
leaving behind our beloved Bostons to switch
over to de Havilland Mosquitos.
Editor’s note: We’ll continue Sandy’s recollections in the November issue of Dispersals as
he relates his experiences on the famed de Havilland Mosquito.
A-20 Boston cockpit Mark Allen M photo
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